What is the Upper Room?
The Upper Room is a cool new venue, and so much more in Dassel, MN. It is a place for young people to 1) Express themselves in a SAFE environment through the arts (mostly music); 2) to be Involved in the operation of the venue, and other things relating to the arts and activities of the venue and 3) Make a Difference in their community and world.
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What happens at the Upper Room?
The Upper Room schedules regular events from a variety of musical genres. The genres are geared toward the musical tastes of young people today. Not every event will have music that appeals to all groups. One night may involve hardcore metal and another pop or acoustic. We have even had techno nights.
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Who is in charge?
The Upper Room is operated by a dedicated group of young adults and older teens who take care of booking, scheduling, band arrangements, publicity, venue upkeep, security and other multiple operational aspects. The venue is sponsored by Rick and Deb Sorensen and is supported by The Hope Fund. The Hope Fund is a non denominational non profit entity that exists to provide hope to those who feel disconnected, and help for the disadvantaged and disabled.
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Is the Upper Room a Christian venue?
The Upper Room IS supported by a non profit fund that, although non denominational, is Christian. The sponsors and most of the ones involved in it's operation are Christian. But it is the intention of all of us that we don't create "exclusiveness", in the sense that we create any artificial walls around the place that would exclude anybody. Our purpose is to provide hope for those who feel disconnected and "put out" enough already.
So besides being a place where we want to see young people involved and encouraged to make a difference, our underlying mission is to be most welcoming to those who have been "worn out and hurt" by life, or "freaked out" by things going on around them, including religion, people who may be dealing with a lot of difficult situations. This may make some people uncomfortable, and we may use methods (i.e. styles of music) that not everyone agrees with. But we see the importance of connecting with these people and letting them know there ARE people who care about them. We ARE trying to be careful about the messages that come through our events and from the artists that play here. We have asked the bands that play here, and attenders, to follow customary community decency standards. We ask that they not be dropping swear words all the time. We are a DRUG FREE venue and do not allow ALCOHOL on the premises. Bands that play here need to be careful about the lyrics in their songs. They should not blatantly promote things harmful to young people. (including, but not limited to, drug and alcohol use and other self destructive behaviors including blatant sexual references) If there is any question about the lyrics in your songs please bring it to the venue operators BEFORE you sing your songs. We reserve the right to immediately terminate a performance with bands who deliberately violate these guidelines. This in no way means we don't want people around who have different standards than our venue, but we feel it is best, as we want the overall message to be one of hope, (even though sometimes expressing frustrations and pain can be part of the healing process). We understand this isn't everyone's "thing", but we would encourage those who are "concerned" about what is going on here to actually come and be a part of what we are doing and give input and make a difference! If you have any questions about these standards or our mission we welcome any questions at any time. |